Text - Gymnasium Damme

follow if the real facts of the food situation were known, and he decided to
make u se of Mr. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. Hitherto the
animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits:
now, however, a few selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to
remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. In addition,
Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed to be filled
nearly to the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what
remained of the grain and meal. On some suitable pretext Whymper was
led through the store-s hed and allowed to catch a glimpse of the bins. He
was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there was
no food shortage on Animal Farm.
Nevertheless, towards the end of January it became obvious that it would
be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. In these days
Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the
farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs. When
he did emerge, it was in a ceremonial manner, with an escort of six dogs
who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near.
Frequently he did not even appear on Sunday mornings, but issued his
orders through one of the other pigs, usually Squealer.
One Sunday morning Squealer announced that the hens, who had just
come in to lay again, must surrender their eggs. Napoleon had accepted,
through Whymper, a contract for four hundred eggs a week. The price of
these would pay for enough grain and meal to keep the farm going till
summer came on and conditions were easier.
When the hens heard this, they raised a terrible outcry. They had been
warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary, but had not believed
that it would really happen. They were just getting their clutches ready for
the spring sitting, and they protested that to take the eggs away now was
murder. For the first time since the expulsion of Jones, there was
something resembling a rebellion. Led by three young Black Minorca
pullets, the hens made a determined effort to thwart Napoleon's wishes.
Thei r method was to fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs, which
smashed to pieces on the floor. Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. He
ordered the hens' rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal
giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death.
The dogs saw to it that these orders were carried out. For five days the
hens held out, then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes.
Nine hens had died in the meantime. Their bodies were buried in the
orchard, an d it was given out that they had died of coccidiosis. Whymper
heard nothing of this affair, and the eggs were duly delivered, a grocer's
van driving up to the farm once a week to take them away.
All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. He was rumoured to be
hiding on one of the neighbouring farms, either Foxwood or Pinchfield.
Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers
than before. It happened that there was in the yard a pile of timber which
had been stacked there ten years earlier when a beech spinney was
cleared. It was well seasoned, and Whymper had advised Napoleon to sell
it; both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick were anxious to buy it. Napoleon
was hesitating between the two, unable to make up his mind. It was
noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement
with Frederick, Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood, while,
when he inclined toward Pilkington, Snowball was said to be at Pinchfield.
Suddenly, early in the spring, an alarming thing was discovered. Snowball
was secretly frequenting the farm by night! The animals were so disturbed
that they could hardly sleep in their stalls. Every night, it was said, he
came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of
mischief. He stole the corn, he upset the milk-pails, he broke the eggs, he
trampled the seedbeds, he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. Whenever